It is on my list of plants to move. I have just the spot for it in the back garden. But, until the weather is better for transplanting (ie autumn), it gets to be the PINK star of the show in the front garden. I think it's pay back for pulling the two pink larkspur.

On a weather note, we have been around 110 degrees Fahrenheit all week! Some plants are doing fine as long as I'm able to water them a bit. The squash is not too happy though. The pumpkin completely gave up. Hoping for some rain and cooler weather soon.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The gourds are climbing the teepee trellises. There are also morning glory vines working their way through the foliage. Sunflowers are also reaching for the sky in this area.

Just glad to see the gourds actually climbing this summer.

I have several Drumstick Onions or Allium sphaerocephalon blooming. I like that they bloom later than many other bulbs. I need to find a nice ground cover to surround their bare stems (maybe the vinca vine will make it to their space).

Otherwise, I just enjoy their sweet little purple heads swaying in the wind.

Friday, June 22, 2012

I realized earlier this week that the garlic was ready to harvest. It just suddenly started getting brown. There are a few green leaves in there, but it was ready and I had time. Thursday, the garlic was harvested.

I usually have good luck with garlic. This year, the bulbs were nice and big. I dig under them to lift them out of the soil. I was surprised at how deep they positioned themselves in the soil this year. I don't think I planted them any deeper than normal.

After shaking off the extra soil, I put the bulbs on a tote lid for easy carrying.

I leave the stems until they dry completely and all the soil comes off before cutting the stems and storing the bulbs.

The vitex seeds never sprouted. I have some cuttings of dichondra silver falls in here now and will try the vitex seeds somewhere else.

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galvanized bucket on ground: pink verbena and
pink diascia

hanging baskets: spider plant and fuschia
vinca

The baskets are doing great. I moved the galvanized bucket to a spot next to the locust tree.

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purple fountain grass and creeping jenny

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galvanized bucket: coleus

clay pot by bucket: baby's tears

clay pot by water container: asparagus fern

The fern I overwintered is hiding in the back of this photo.

I moved the baby's tears and brought in two containers of a vining plant I received from Melanie at There's No Place Like Home. (Melanie--what is it called? It has purple on the underside of the leaves.)

[Bucket in background is the one with pink
verbena and pink diascia listed earlier.]

I moved this sweet potato vine in front of the kokopelli stake and put the sedum collection out on the edge of the patio to receive more sun late in the day. I added some aloe vera plants and a cacti from being overwintered.